City ticket collection plan may be moot

Updated 10:37 pm, Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Houston City Council quietly approved a deal Wednesday to have the state withhold vehicle registrations of people who owe the city money for traffic tickets.

That does not mean you cannot get your windshield sticker until you pay up, however. The Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office will continue registrations for scofflaws, as will more than 200 local supermarkets because they take their orders from the tax office.

Barbara Hartle, presiding judge of Houston's municipal courts, sought the proposal as a way to pressure 43,000 scofflaws annually to pay their citations and fines. Wednesday's Council agenda item states that with a $102,331 investment over the next five years, the city could reap $432,000 a year in increased payments.

Council's action essentially means scofflaws will not be able to renew their registrations on the DMV website. Instead, they will have to go to the window at the tax office, where tax assessor Don Sumners said he will continue to issue registrations even if the state prints the word "scofflaw" on their renewal forms.

"I don't think they (the city) could pay us enough for the services it would cause.We don't have enough people as it is," Sumners said.

Sumners is only tax assessor for the next six weeks. However, the tax assessor-elect, Councilman Mike Sullivan, was the only vote against the deal on Wednesday. He opposes the idea because he is concerned that errors or lack of due process will cause the state to withhold registrations of people who have paid or want to pay their fines.

Hartle said people already are given the option to pay in installments or to work off fines through community service. She said the deal with the state is a precursor to having the tax assessor place registration holds and she hopes the city and county can make a deal.

"It would be more successful if we had their participation, but it can work," Hartle said.

Sullivan said he also believes the city should not offload its collections operations onto county government. He left the door open to a deal after he is sworn in as tax assessor in January, though, if City Attorney David Feldman is the city's broker.

"He's apolitical," Sullivan said. "This administration is nothing but political and has not been honest and direct and transparent with me as a council member. However, Mr. Feldman has always been fair with me in all of my dealings."

The plan is the latest strategy in the city's 18-month-old push to collect on $750 million it is owed in back taxes, ambulance fees, library fines and delinquent charges.